No matter what one might say about the links between different people and different nations, there can be no possible doubts that certain countries stay miles away from each other. Preserving their cultural identity, they are still linked to one another, which cannot be considered but a positive state of affairs.
Despite the fact that globalization is designed to reunite people, restoring their economical, political and personal links with one another, there are certain suspicions that the effect of globalization can possibly harm the ethnicity and the cultural peculiarities of various countries, making the latter absorb the culture of the world leading states.
Considering the matter closer, one can see distinctly that the fear of the globalization effect comes from the strong feeling of national identity. According to the essay under the discussion, the fears that globalization would be the merging of cultures until they fuse into a single entity are completely groundless.
However, the author of the essay has sufficient arguments to back the statement with. It is quite clear that integrating into a globalized world will presuppose that certain traits of national character and identity might disappear. As the process unwinds, people will focus on the economical and political aspect of the problem, whereas the cultural one will be likely left behind. However, this is not a reason to be greatly anxious, the author of the essay claims.
Moreover, the argument of the essay is backed up with significant information concerning the plausible positive effects of globalization. Like in Ben-Rafael’s book, “globalization is seen here as an effort to build a world meta-culture sui generis, not by superimposing one culture on others” (280)
However, it cannot be denied that, once started, the process of globalization is bound to continue, not matter what people could think about it. Whether it is a negative or a positive “polysyllabic phenomenon” (Blanchette 71), it can be only hindered, not stopped. Like every other stage of people’s evolution, this process is irreversible.
Therefore, the only thing that people can do at the current moment is to try slackening the process of globalization down. With help of reasonable approach and considerable effort, people will be able to postpone the globalization process until they feel that the mankind will handle the complicated stage of self-development.
Unlike the rest of political and economical phenomena, this one embraces the entire world, which is already a reason for thorough considerations. According to the essay, the suppositions concerning the negative effect of globalization have been greatly exaggerated. Still, there are sufficient reasons that the threat of globalization was underestimated by the author of the essay.
On the one hand, globalization does have its effect on the world culture, encouraging the process of fusion. Yet on the other hand, it is obvious that the effect of culture mixing can lead to deplorable effects. As soon as the cultures reach certain point of globalizing, they will disintegrate into a mess that will represent the “globalized culture”. Wiping out the unique cultural features of specific countries, globalization is highly likely to produce an effect of a social stencil for the mankind.
Moulded according to the stereotyped pattern, people will not be able to keep their cultural values, which the author of the essay does not take into consideration. As El-Shibini claims, globalization can pose certain threat to the Islamic people with their specific culture and traditions, which means that the process of globalization must take another shape in this society to help them preserve their cultural identity:
Extremists fear the incorporation of Western Civilization into Islamic countries. Therefore, Arab communities need to take from globalization what coincides with the national interest for economic, scientific, cultural and technological development and to identify and abandon whatever conflicts with Islamic beliefs, traditions, social values and norms. (El-Shibiny 83)
It must be admitted though that the essay has certain strong arguments to support the idea that the globalization is bound to have positive effect on the world cultures. The thesis of the essay explains that the effects of globalization will not hinder the cultural development and threat the cultural values of different countries, since globalization will itself encourage the process of cultural growth.
Emphasizing that globalization enhances the understanding of cultural values and the national identity, the author does make an efficient use of logical arguments. Indeed, it cannot be doubted that with the globalization process, certain innovations that will enhance relationships between ethnic communities will appear:
For example, consider the existence of the electronic media. And, more recently, the Internet which allow members of national and cultural groups new and more effective ways of communicating with one another and of promoting their culture and traditions. (Hogan 415)
Thus, it must be admitted that the essay under the discussion does have its point, yet these benefits cannot outweigh the negative effects of globalization anyway. Since the electronic media can be used both for finding like-minded people, and for promoting certain views, either cultural or political, into a different community and thus destroying their life pace.
Considering the effects of globalization, one must say that these are deadly for a number of cultures. Therefore, it can be supposed that the mankind s not ready for the globalization process yet. As soon as people are able to keep their traditions, the world integration will be possible.
Works Cited
Ben-Rafael, Eliezer, and Yitzhak Sternberg. Identity, Culture and Globalization. Leiden, Netherlands: BRILL, 2002. Print.
Blanchette, Olivia, et al. Philosophical Challenges and Opportunities of Globalization, Vol. 1. New York, NY: CRVP, 2001. Print.
El-Shibiny, Mohamed. The Threat of Globalization to Arab Islamic CU. Pittsburg, PA: Dorrance Publishing Co., 2005. Print.
Hogan, John P. Cultural Identity, Pluralism and Globalization. Vol. 1. New York, NY: CRVP, 2005. Print.